Vibration monitoring of rotating machines, such as turbine generators, is often useful when trying to prevent bearing damage, calculate maintenance cycles and monitor overall system performance. One useful measure of vibration is known as Smax, which is the maximum displacement of a rotating machinery shaft within a bearing over a given period of time. Smax is typically measured by using two displacement sensors mounted proximate to a rotating shaft and circumferentially offset by a known angle.
Prior art methods of calculating or estimating Smax often include large error rates, some as high as 30%. Other methods may have lower error rates but require too much computation to enable real-time output to an operator or control equipment.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method of calculating Smax that both reduces inherent errors while being simple enough to compute a near real-time output.